100 Years Ago Today 8/31/1920: Brooklyn Robins Take Back First Place As September Looms

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS
1920 National League Champions

Game #126: Tuesday, August 31, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Sportsman's Park

First Place Brooklyn Robins Achieve Victory Number Seventy with Twenty-Nine Games Left to Play 

Message to Uncle Robbie: Don't look back or you just might see who is behind you.

After all, New York City is still John McGraw's empire.  But it's also a not so subtle reminder that the National League pennant is up for grabs. 

If over these last five months you've remained a member of the staunch Brooklyn skeptics and Robins naysayers, then perhaps Tuesday's contest finally swayed you into believing this surprisingly irrepressible team - virtually unchanged from last season - genuinely stands poised to win another National League pennant.  From the lips of yours truly to the ears of Charlie Byrne!  But the McKeever Brothers and Charlie Ebbets himself believe this to be true.  Fans filing into 55 Sullivan Place in exponentially record numbers are all the proof they need.

With Tuesday's 5-2 victory at Sportsman's Park the Robins finish the month of August with a modest 14-13 record.  However, the true significance of Tuesday's game is that it marks Brooklyn's seventieth victory of the regular season.  It's one win above last season's total; thirteen more than achieved in 1918; and presently matches their 1917 output.  Only difference being this year's Robins still have twenty-nine games left to play.  Everything now points back to 1916 when the Robins win 94 games and capture the pennant by a 2.5 game margin over Philadelphia.  It may take that many wins if not more in order to keep at bay the defending champion Cincinnati Reds and surging New York Giants.  But make no mistake, the road to the pennant presently courses through Brooklyn, as both Cincinnati and the New York Giants visit Ebbets Field in late September.

Back on the field, the Robins lose their series against St. Louis but at least salvage a victory in their final visit this season to Sportsman's Park.  Unlike yesterday Brooklyn stays a step ahead of the Cardinals with a 2-1 lead after three, trading runs in the sixth, then closing with two more runs in the seventh en route to a 5-2 final.  Bernie Neis getting a start in center field goes 2 for 5 with two runs batted in.  Hi Myers, Ed Konetchy and Pete Kilduff also drive in a run apiece.  Starter Jeff Pfeffer improves to 12-8 with a 2.90 ERA, after yielding two runs on seven hits and no walks with four strikeouts through a full nine.  Boston's extra-inning triumph over Cincinnati coupled with Brooklyn's victory once again gives the Robins a half-game lead over the Reds. 

Meanwhile, the New York Giants lose yet again at Forbes Field placing them two games out of first.  We know Wilbert Robinson and John McGraw are no longer the close friends they once were.  It seems the only things they have in common theses days are their respective issues playing Pittsburgh.

• RECORD: 70-55 (.560)
• 1st Place; 0.5 GA

Subway Series Recap with The Coop on Another Metsian Podcast

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

with SAM, RICH & MIKE

GUEST

THE COOP IS BACK! 

"My Summer Family" - Taryn Cooper

New York, New York, it's a hell of a baseball town where local Mets and Yankees fans ride in a hole in the ground (hopefully wearing masks while practicing social distancing).  The subway system has run parallel with New York City's baseball history for well over a century.  In fact, five score and sixteen years ago local fans via the city's new subway system begin commuting to the Polo Grounds and Washington Park in Brooklyn.  Before long fans are third-railing their way to Ebbets Field and Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium decades later.  Today's commute to the new modern parks is no different.  However, Major League Baseball is doing its damndest to impose change upon the game and its fans.  This begs the question: is it worth swiping a MetroCard be it to River Avenue or Rosevelt Avenue in order to see a seven inning ballgame?

A recap of the five game Subway Series that was between Bronx and Queens

#LGM

100 Years Ago Today 8/30/1920: Cardinals Twin Bill Sweep Drops Brooklyn Robins Into Second Place

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #124: Monday, August 30, 1920 - GAME ONE/BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Sportsmans Park

Veteran Bill Doak Gives Robins a Birdbath

Cardinals veteran starter Bill Doak, in the midst of one of his best seasons, offers the visiting Robins no quarter.  He faces just 29 batters while limiting Brooklyn to five scattered hits and no walks through nine shutout innings.  He improves to 17-10 with a 2.64 ERA.  Tommy Griffith, Pete Kilduff, Otto Miller and pinch hitter Bill Lamar account for the Robins only hits.  Brooklyn is 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.  Facing Rube Marquard, the Cardinals break a scoreless tie in the fifth.  The score remains unchanged through the seventh.  But the roof caves in on Marquard during the eighth.  Wilbert Robinson makes no move as Marquard issues a lead-off walk to Hal Janvrin then yields three straight base hits.  St. Louis goes on to tally four runs en route to a 6-0 whitewashing.  Marquard's record now stands at 8-7 with a 3.29 ERA after allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits and four walks with five strikeouts through eight innings pitched.



Game #125: Monday, August 30, 1920, GAME TWO/BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Sportsmans Park

Leon Cadore Ruins Ferdie Schupp Shutout; Cardinals Complete Twin Bill Sweep

Where'd everybody go ...?

Brooklyn buckles in the late innings as the St. Louis Cardinals complete a twin bill sweep at Sportsman's Park.  Leon Cadore toes the rubber opposed by former New York Giants southpaw Ferdie Schupp.  The two duel through a one-all tie through six.  But similar to Rube Marquard in game one, the roof caves in late in the game atop Leon Cadore.  St. Louis erupts for two runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth.  Reliever Sherry Smith fares no better.  Jimmy Johnston accounts for three of Brooklyn's six total hits, but only Cadore himself can muster the Robins' lone run batted in - a home run, no less, in the third.  Otherwise, Ferdie Schupp effectively shuts out Brooklyn's positional eight.  Cincinnati defeats the Braves at Redland Field and take back possession of first place.  Meanwhile, the New York Giants are swept by the Pirates in their twin bill at Forbes Field.

• RECORD: 69-55 (.556)
• 2nd Place; 0.5 GB

N.Y. Islanders: Opponents Yet to Penetrate Isles Defenses

From the desk of: NO SLEEP TILL BELMONT

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

2019   PLAYOFFS   2020

Isles lead Flyers; 2-1

I - NYI 4; PHI 0

II - PHI 4; NYI 3*

III - NYI 3; PHI 1

*overtime

Games Three and Five I believe are the most pivotal in any playoff series.  There will be a fifth game, that is certain.  For now the Islanders take care of business by securing game three to reestablish a 2-1 series lead against the Philadelphia Vigneault Flyers. 

Since entering the bubble the Islanders have limited Florida, Washington and now Philadelphia within the constraints set forth by Coach Trotz' system (game two's OT loss is no different).

Through twelve games and 36 periods of regulation hockey the Islanders technically are still yet to allow thirty shots on net.  They're also doing an increasingly better job of staying out of the box and in turn playing a great majority of their games at even strength (and their chief strength).

Even their power play is improving.  They've so far traded eight special team goals with their competition.  However, whereas their PP went 4/16 against against Florida and a lowly 2/22 against Washington, they are so far 2/6 against Philly.  Conversely the Islanders have allowed Florida fourteen PP opportunities and Washington sixteen opportunities.  So far they've limited the Flyers to zero tallies in only four opportunities.

Semyom Varlamov faces 27 shots in game three letting just one get by.  Flyers winger Tyler Pitlick opens the scoring at 14:18 of the first period.  The goal marks only the twelfth even strength goal yielded by the Islanders since entering the bubble.  Overall, they are allowing an average of 1.6 goals per game with Varlamov stopping .932% (.914 regular season) of all shots on net.

After Pitlick's goal the Flyers are incapable of withstanding Long Island's ensuing surge.  Matt Martin scores his third goal of the playoffs at 7:12 of the second session.  Then with the second session winding down Philadelphia commits one of the cardinal sins in hockey: allowing a goal in the first or last two minutes of a period - at 19:54 Leo Komarov does just that.  He becomes the 13th different Islanders skater to score a goal though twelve playoff games.  At 3:41 of the third period, Anders Lee puts the game out of reach when he scores on a power play for his sixth tally of the post-season.  The Islanders are outscoring opponents by an overall 40-20 margin - exactly double.  At even strength the Isles hold a dominant 32-12 advantage.

Best news for Islanders fans is that both Martin's and Komarov's goals come off defensive end take-aways.  Varlamov also withstands Philly's 6 on 4 power play in the closing minutes of the game.

Three opponents, no answers.

Game Four awaits ...

100 Years Ago Today 8/29/1920: Cubs Gain Series Split with Brooklyn Robins

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #123: Sunday, August 29, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. Chicago Cubs
Cubs Park

New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds Tied for Second Place, One Game Behind Brooks

Brooklyn wastes no time pushing across the game's first run in the opening frame.  But Chicago takes full advantage of their last licks against the Robins to salvage a series split.  The Cubs lead 3-2 through seven until Robins reliever Sherry Smith comes to his own aid and delivers a two out base hit in the eighth scoring Pete Kildiff from second.  Sherry Smith retires the Cubs in order in the bottom of the frame, and Chicago reliever Lefty Tyler retires Brooklyn in the top of the ninth.  Catcher Bob O'Farrell leads off the Cubs ninth with a hit.  He and pitcher Lefty Tyler swap places on a force out at second.  Right fielder Max Flack then singles putting runners on the corners.  Shortstop Zeb Terry follows with a double to right scoring Tyler for the win.  Starter Al Mamaux escapes with a no decision, after yielding three runs on six hits and no walks through six innings.  Sherry suffers his eighth loss of the season after allowing a run on four hits through 2.1 innings in relief.  Zack Wheat goes 2 for 5 with a triple and run batted in.  The New York Giants defeat Cincinnati at Redland Field to forge a second place tie.  Both the Reds and Giants sit one game behind the first place Brooklyn Robins.

• RECORD: 69-53 (.566)
• 1st Place; 1.0 GA

From the desk of: LITTLE NAPOLEON'S EMPIRE 

EXTRA: NEW YORK GIANTS PULL WITH ONE GAME OF UNCLE ROBBIE'S TROLLEY DODGERS

John McGraw's Giants end the season's first three months in seventh place with a sub par 30-35 record.  Since July 1st through the present time, the Giants have gone 38-18 for a vastly improved  67-53 (.558) record overall.  On July 17 they stood a distant 10.5 games back of first.  Over the ensuing forty games they've posted a 28-12 (.700) record to climb within one game of first place.

Game #121: Sunday, August 29, 1920 - BR

New York Giants vs. Cincinnati Reds
Redland Field

The Giants win their 20th game of the month on the strength of Jesse Barnes' right arm.  Last year's league leader in victories limits the defending champion Reds to one earned run on just four hits and one walk with three strikeouts for his sixteenth win of the season against eleven losses with a 2.90 ERA.  New York rallies for three runs in the fifth en route to a 4-1 victory at Redland Field.  Facing the competent Jimmy Ring, third baseman Frankie Frisch is 2 for 5 with two runs batted in.  George Burns and shortstop Dave Bancroft also register multiple hits.  Right fielder Ross Youngs is 1 for 4 with a walk, double, a run batted in and one run scored.  The Reds are winless in their last five games and are teetering at .500 in August with a 14-13 record.

When Paterson Was The World: Negro Leagues Baseball at Hinchliffe Stadium

From the desk of: NEGRO LEAGUES CENTENNIAL

1932  ~  HINCHLIFFE STADIUM  ~  1997

"SILK CITY STADIUM"

Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Passaic River and neighboring Great Falls, New Jersey's historic Hinchliffe Stadium is named after the depression era Paterson Mayor John Hinchliffe.  Built during his administration, the park is one of just a few ballparks still standing to host Negro Leagues baseball games.

• Others include famous Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama; Hamtramck Stadium in Hamtramck, Michigan; Cooper Stadium, Columbus, Ohio; Cleveland's League Park and Jacksonville's J.P. Small Memorial Stadium.

Paterson resident John Ellerbee is one among a crew of locals who help build Hinchliffe Stadium - a 10,000 capacity cast concrete oval in Art Deco style, with an infield configuration and outfield dimensions somewhat resembling those of the Polo Grounds.  On July 8, 1932, Hinchliffe opened for business.  Third baseman John Ellerbee plays at Hinchliffe with the Paterson semi-pro Smart Set club alongside two young teammates named Monte Irvin and Larry Doby.

Barnstormers and independents immediately flock to Hinchliffe - which provided unsegregated seating and racially integrated play.  As word spread, Hinchliffe became known not only as on the most beautiful but one of the most welcoming stadiums in the state, according to Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium.

Negro National League II Arrives at
 Hinchliffe Stadium

I - NEW YORK BLACK YANKEES (1931-1948)

Founded in 1931 as the independent Harlem Black Bombers, then rebranded as the New York Harlem Stars, the club initially plays home games at the Polo Grounds and Dykman Oval in upper Manhattan.  By 1932 the club is recognized as the New York Black Yankees partly owned by famous entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

• According to NegroLeagueMuseum.com, the New York Black Yankees franchise is basically an extension of the New York Lincoln Giants who fold after the 1930 season.  In 1931 John Henry "Pop" Loyd managed the Harlem Stars' interim team, which serves as a bridge between the two long-time franchises.

In 1933 they take up residence at Hinchliffe Stadium and stay through 1937, then return during the 1939-1945 seasons.  For one season in 1938, they play home games at Triborough Stadium on Randall's Island, and from 1941 through 1947, they also famously play at Yankee Stadium.

On Sept. 22, 1933, Hinchliffe Stadium hosts the "Colored Championship of the Nation" featuring the New York Black Yankees versus the Philadelphia Stars.  The latter defeat the Black Yankees fourteen runs to eight.  The 1933 Stars feature Hall of Fame members Jud Wilson and Biz Mackey, while the Black Yankees boast notables Walter Cannady, Fats Jenkins, John Beckwith, George Scales, and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe.

On July 13, 1935, New York Black Yankees pitcher Terris McDuffie pitches an 8-0 no-hitter against House of David at Hinchliffe Stadium.  Led at the plate by Dave Thomas, Thad Christopher, and Pete Washington, the New York Black Yankees top the 1935 Independent Clubs standings.

In 1936 they joined the Negro National League II.  Over the next twelve seasons, Hall of Famers Willie Wells, Mule Suttles, and Satchel Paige variously take turns donning a Black Yankees uniform and plying their respective talents in front of NY/NJ metropolitan area crowds.

But to thwart declining attendance due to Jackie Robinson's arrival at Ebbets Field and to separate themselves from other metro area competition (namely the New York Cubans and Brooklyn Royal Giants), the Black Yankees uproot local operations after the 1947 season and relocate to upstate Rochester, N.Y., where after the 1948 season they ultimately fold all operations.

II - NEW YORK CUBANS II (1935-1950)

The New York Cubans (reorganized under owner Alex Pompez) also take up residence at Hinchliffe Stadium in time for the 1935 season and, like the Black Yankees, waste no time hosting some of the game's premier teams and players.

The Pittsburgh Crawfords capture the 1935 Negro National League II first-half title and finish in first place overall, while the New York Cubans recover from a poor start to finish the season in third place and win the second half flag.  On Sept. 13, Hinchliffe Stadium hosts game one of the Championship Series.  The Paterson watches Cubans starter Frank Blake yield just four hits against a Crawfords lineup that features such greats as Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Pat Patterson, Judy Johnson, Sam Bankhead, Cool Papa Bell, and Jimmie Crutchfield.  

Facing Pittsburgh starter Harry Kincannon, New York's lineup featuring Lázaro Salazar, Alejandro Oms, Martín Dihigo, Rap Dixon, Clyde Spearman, and Dave Thomas defeat the Crawfords nine to three.  Games two and three are held at the Polo Grounds.  In-game two, New York's John "Neck" Stanley whitewashes the Crawfords on just four hits.  The series then shifts to Pittsburgh.  In game four, Martin Dihigo is opposed by Crawfords' starter Leroy Matlock.  New York wins the game six to one, giving the Cubans a commanding 3-1 series lead.  However, the Crawfords win game five at Pittsburgh, then sweep the next two games held at Philadelphia to win the championship.

After 1936 the New York Cubans fail to field a team for the next two seasons.

They resume playing in 1939 as members of the Negro National League II.  

In 1941, the New York Cubans line-up featured Caribbean Leagues star Juan "Tetelo" Vargas (who leads the team with a .327 average) and Pedro Cepeda (father to Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda).  Others include Ramón Heredia, Clemente "Sungo" Carreras, Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre, and Dave Barnhill.  The Homestead Grays are first-half champs and finish in first place overall.  New York wins the second-half flag, but bow to the Homestead Grays three games to one in the Championship Series.

The Cubans in 1943 and 1944 post-back-to-back second-place finishes again behind the Homestead Grays.

At the same time Jackie Robinson is breaking in with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Cubans are still splitting games between Hinchliffe and the Polo Grounds.  In 1947 the Newark Eagles won the Negro National League II first-half flag, and the Cubans win the second half flag and finish in first place overall.  There is no playoff, and thus New York is declared the champion.  Led by Luis "Lefty" Tiant (father of Boston Red Sox pitching great Luis Tiant) and Orestes "Minnie" Minoso, the New York Cubans go on to defeat the Negro American League champion Cleveland Buckeyes for the 1947 Negro World Series Championship.

The New York Cubans affiliation with the Negro National League II ends after the 1948 season.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation says the (independent) New York Cubans continue playing games at Hinchliffe Stadium until the team folded in 1950.

Newark Eagles Swoop Through
 Hinchliffe Stadium

Hailing from nearby Orange, N.J., Monte Irvin plays ball for East Orange High School and the Paterson semi-pro Smart Set when, during a Newark Eagles tryout at Hinchliffe Stadium, he is scouted and signed in 1937 by Abe Manley.  Monte makes a brief debut in 1938 as a 19-year old but effectively begins his Hall of Fame career in earnest the following season.  Shortly after that, a 17-year old local Paterson resident Larry Doby in 1942 is likewise signed by Abe Manley during a Newark Eagles tryout held at Hinchliffe Stadium.  However, Doby's upbringing is far more intertwined and, for that matter, intimately connected with Paterson's sports complex, for Larry is All-State in football, basketball, and baseball.  In 1941 and 1942, he leads Eastside High School to consecutive championships at Hinchliffe Stadium.  Monte and Larry play at Hinchliffe as teammates with the Smart Set; they visit Hinchliffe together as members of the Newark Eagles; then oppose each other in the 1954 World Series pitting the New York Giants versus the Cleveland Indians.  They are two of only four players to play in both a Negro World Series and a major league World Series, according to Negro League Baseball Museum.

List of Legends Who Play at Hinchliffe Stadium

American Hall of Fame/Cuban Hall of Fame

Over twenty future Hall of Famers
play games at Hinchliffe Stadium:

JOSH GIBSON    OSCAR CHARLESTON    SATCHEL PAIGE    WILLIE FOSTER  

LARRY DOBY    MONTE IRVIN

WILLIAM "Judy" JOHNSON    JAMES "Cool Papa" BELL    JOHN HENRY "Pop" LOYD

JAMES "Biz" MACKEY    GEORGE "Mule" SUTTLES

RAY DANDRIDGE    WILLIE WELLS    JUD WILSON    TURKEY STEARNS 

BUCK LEONARD    LEON DAY    RAY BROWN

American/Cuban Hall of Fame
MARTÍN DIHIGO **

Cuban Hall of Fame
ALEJANDRO OMS    LÁZARO SALAZAR

As Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby begin integrating major league baseball and other premiere African-American players follow, so begins the Negro Leagues baseball enterprise's demise.  Hinchliffe Stadium is forced into hosting more varied sporting events such as boxing and auto racing.  In 1963 the Paterson school district took over ownership of the stadium.  It remains in use through the 1980s when the original dirt and grass playing surface is replaced with astroturf.  The infield is also rotated clockwise from its actual alignment.  All the while, Hinchliffe Stadium falls further and further into widespread disrepair.  By 1997 extensive deterioration and matters of public safety force its closure. Hinchliffe is chained shut and ignored, left unattended to fend against relentless nature and weathering.

Finally, the restoration of Hinchliffe Stadium begins in earnest when in 2013, the National Park Service designates the park as a National Historic Landmark.  It also stands as baseball's only Historic Landmark.  Seven years later, the National Trust for Historic Preservation lists the stadium as one of the country's most endangered historic places.  Both are essential steps towards renovating the complex.  Last year, work commenced on the facade, ticket windows, decorative tile, main entrance gate, and (most recently) the cast concrete stadium signs.

Better yet, the Paterson city council earlier this month (August) approved a tax break for developers to rebuild their historic stadium.  The mega project includes senior housing, parking, and a restaurant.  Groundbreaking is expected in October with a grand opening in two years, according to newyork.cbs.com.

Larry Doby "... had fond memories of those times." - Larry Doby Jr.

Hopefully, Larry's field of dreams is restored in a manner befitting its former glory.

100 Years Ago Today 8/28/1920: Grover Cleveland Alexander Whitewashes Brooklyn Robins

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #122: Saturday, August 28, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. Chicago Cubs
Cubs Park

The Great Pete Alexander Out-Duels Burleigh Grimes

It matters not your rooting interest, for this affair is tailored for the greater baseball fan.  They call such demonstrations classic pitching duels for a reason.  Friday's contest played in front of 12,000 enchanted fans is just that - a game which stands on its own, pennant race be damned.  Brooklyn spitballer and emerging star Burleigh Grimes toes the rubber and is opposed by the Chicago's decade long legend Pete Alexander.  Catcher Bob O'Farrell leads off the Cubs fifth with a hit.  Alexander aids his own cause with a successful sacrifice advancing O'Farrell to second.  Right fielder Max Flack then singles to center scoring O'Farrell.  Otherwise Grimes and Alexander continue trading goose eggs en rout to a 1-0 whitewashing of the Robins.  Pete Alexander allows just six hits and one walk through nine scoreless innings.  He improves to 22-12 with a 2.12 ERA.  This is the seventh season in which Alexander has exceeded twenty victories.  Burleigh Grimes is now 18-9 with 2.13 ERA.  In a tough luck loss he allows one run on seven hits and two walks.  Otherwise, Cubs Park is treated to a pitching virtuoso.  And the New York Giants are now two games out of first place.

• RECORD: 69-52 (.570)
• 1st Place; 1.0 GA  

100 Years Ago Today 8/27/1920: Brooklyn Robins Retake Sole Possession of First Place

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #121: Friday, August 27, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. Chicago Cubs
Cubs Park

National League is Officially Up for Grabs

By all indications, the National League is up for grabs.  We start in Cincinnati, where the defending champion Reds bow to the New York Giants after seventeen innings in the first game of a planned twin bill.  They're unable to play the second contest on account of darkness.  Back in Chicago, the Robins win their third straight and take their second in a row from the Cubs, thus sliding up one full game into first place.  Jeff Pfeffer toes the rubber and is opposed by Cubs veteran Claude Hendrix.  Chicago jumps out to a quick lead with runs in the first and second innings.  The Robins knot the game with a pair of runs in the third.  After trading runs in the fourth, the game proceeds quietly through the seventh.  Brooklyn breaks the deadlock with three runs in the eighth en route to a 6-3 victory.  Ed Konetchy drives in two runs, Tommy Griffith, Pete Kilduff and Otto Miller drive in one run apiece.  Ivy Olson remains hot at the plate with three hits in five at-bats.  Zack Wheat is also 3 for 5 with a run scored.  But the Robins also hit into five double-plays.  Jeff Pfeffer allows three earned runs on fourteen hits and two walks through nine innings for his eleventh victory against eight losses with a 2.95 ERA.

• RECORD: 69-51 (.575)
• 1st Place; 1.0 GA

New York Islanders Momentum Put on Hold After Game Two Loss

From the desk of: NO SLEEP TILL BELMONT

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

2019   PLAYOFFS   2020

Series Tied; 1-1

I - NYI 4; PHI 0

II - PHI 4; NYI 3*

*overtime

Nothing More to See; Don't Worry; All is Well; Go Back to Your Homes and Thank You For Your Concern

Once you play beyond regulation, well, the first little slip up and it's game over.  Even the sun shines on a dog's posterior once a day.  To Philadelphia's credit the Flyers do create a bunch of traffic in front of Semyon Varlamov.  And sure enough, that jam up leads to the game winning goal.  I'm just not convinced Philadelphia actually wins on a long range deflection, or if the slow starting Islanders let one slip away.  In either scenario the Flyers last night should've slept with troubled minds after blowing a three goal lead.

The undeterred Islanders stay true to themselves and just grind their way through the second and third periods like a glacier carving its way through the Toronto bubble.  It takes overtime, but the Isles allow thirty-plus shots on goal for the first time since the NHL's restart.  So, technically they've yet to yield thirty SOG in regulation.  The Isles still out-shoot Philly by a 34-31 margin and continue doing what's been making them so successful: they're 2 for 2 on the PK and go 1 for 3 on the power play.  They also administer more hits and win more face-offs.  More across the board contributions come from Anders Lee, Anthony Beaullivier and the game tying goal with just over two minutes left in regulation from Jean-Gabriel Pageau.  That's been Islanders hockey.  After a disastrous first period they regroup and impose their brand of play until Philippe Myers flips the scrip at the 2:41 mark of overtime.

Sean Couturier leads the Flyers with four shots on goal, while four other skaters manage three each.  The Islanders on the other hand are led by Anders Lee's eight shots on goal and Anthony Beauvillier's six shots on net.  Three other Islanders put three shots on net as well.  Therefore have faith in Coach Trotz' four line blitz.  Game two was nothing more than the Isles showing up late for work - it happens.

If any team is under stress through two games, it's Philadelphia.  The Flyers are asking for extended minutes from their blue liners.  Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim clock over twenty minutes in game two, and in game one they play three defensemen in excess of twenty minutes.  The more minutes they stay on the ice the easier it gets to make them turn their heads and get their bodies skating in the wrong direction.  In game two not one Isles defenseman surpasses twenty minutes even as they continue forward minus Johnny Boychuck.

This can either be a turning point in the series for Philly (if you let your imagination run wild), or just a bump in the road for the Islanders.  I suspect the latter, but of course that remains to be seen.

100 Years Ago Today 8/26/1920: Brooklyn Robins Forge First Place Tie With Victory at Chicago

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #120: Thursday, August 26, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. Chicago Cubs
Cubs Park

Leon Cadore Outlasts Chicago's Hippo Vaughn

Brooklyn outlasts Chicago.  More precisely Leon Cadore outlasts Cubs's perennial 20-game winner Hippo Vaughn.  The Robins waste no time putting two runs on the board in first inning with hits from Bernie Neise and Hy Myers.  Brooklyn takes a 3-0 lead in the third on Pere Kilduff's 47th run batted in for the season.  Chicago strikes back for three runs in the third on four hits and a run batted in by Vaughn himself.  The game remains tied at three through the seventh.  In the eighth Zack Wheat singles off Hippo Vaughn giving the Robins a 4-3 lead.  With Hippo Vaughn out of the game and Sweetbread Bailey pitching relief in the ninth, Otto Miller drives home Brooklyn's final insurance run en route to a 5-3 final at Cubs Park.  Hi Myers is 3 for 4 with a double and his club leading 59th run batted in.  Zack Wheat drives home his 52nd run of the season.  Leon Cadore goes the distance, yielding three earned runs on seven hits and just one walk with four strikeouts.  He evens his record at 11-11 with a representative 2.55 earned run average.  With today's victory and Cincinnati's loss against the Phillies, the Robins and Reds are once again tied for first place with just 35 games left on the regular schedule.  Meanwhile, the New York Giants lose a pitchers duel at Sportsman's Park. They remain mired three games out of first for a third straight day.

• RECORD: 68-51 (.571)
• Tied 1st Place w/Reds

Brooklyn Nets: Wait Till Next Year is Dead Ahead

From the desk of: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

2019   PLAYOFFS   2020

Raptors def. Nets; 4-0

I - TOR 134; BKN 110

II - TOR 104; BKN 99

III - TOR 117; BKN 92

IV - TOR 150; BKN 122

Trounced in two, swept in four ... I believe game one was closer that the final score indicates.

In any event, when the opposing bench scores 100 points (game four) there's no need sifting through the minutiae of what went wrong.  Give Toronto their respect as defending NBA champs and move on.  It's time for Brooklyn to get back in the lab.

We all know the Nets this season were a very compromised team.  All things considered I'm actually quite pleased with how the season ends.  Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and Joe Harris are thrust into the team's primary positions of leadership.  The experience gained is invaluable.  These are the requisite growing pains.  In the meantime, enjoy the rest of summer best you can.  For the Hopes of Flatbush lay dead ahead.

How effective will Kevin Durant be upon his return to the floor?  Will Kyrie Irving be able to sustain a full season?  Will he have kinder things to say about his teammates?  Will the two mega stars mesh?  This remains to be seen.

But what if Irving is right?  Do the Nets have the requisite in-house pieces in order to facilitate a championship?  What if the Nets do not have the right mix of talent?  Does Sean Marks need to go off campus for another formidable threat?

Joe Harris is the team's most notable free agent.  Sean Marks says re-signing him is a top priority.  Whereas I have my reservations.  He is an easily blunted dagger in the Nets attack.  When teams decide to shut him down, they do.

Brooklyn has eleven players under contract entering next season: Kevin Durant; Kyrie Irving; DeAndre Jordan; Caris LeVert; Rodions Kurucs; Dzanan Musa; Nicolas Claxton; Taurean Prince and Jeremiah Martin ... meanwhile, extending the contracts of Jarrett Allen and Spencer Dinwiddie will not be easy.  The Nets have an option on Garrett Temple, but what Sean Marks does about Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is anyone's guess.

There is also a new head coach up for discussion.

Change is most certainly on the horizon.

But make no mistake, the future has arrived.

100 Years Ago Today 8/25/1920: Brooklyn Robins Win Rubber Game at Forbes Field

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #119: Wednesday, August 25, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robons vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Forbes Field

Al Mamaux Provides Robins Much Needed Relief

All's well that ends well.  After the Pirates hand Elmer Ponder a three run lead in the third, Brooklyn claws back with four unanswered runs.  Pittsburgh makes quick work of starter Rube Marquard, knocking him out of the box with two outs in the third.  Before the inning is through, with Al Mamaux on the mound, right fielder Fred Nicholson steals home.  Zack Wheat gets Brooklyn on the board with a sacrifice fly in the fourth; Wheat drives in his second run for the game in the sixth and Ed Konetchy pushes Brooklyn's third run across on a fielder's choice.  Facing Elmer Ponder in the ninth, Ivy Olson drives home the decisive run.  Al Mamaux is stellar in relief, yielding four hits and two walks with three strikeouts though 6.1 scoreless innings.  He improves to 9-8 with a 2.67 ERA.  Brooklyn takes the series from Pittsburgh two games to one.  Cincinnati defeats the Phillies and so the Robins remain one game out of first.  The New York Giants defeat the Cardinals to stay three games off the lead.

• RECORD: 67-51 (.568)
• 2nd Place; 1.0 GB

FORBES FIELD

N.Y. Islanders: Isles Whitewash Feeble Flyers

From the desk of: NO SLEEP TILL BELMONT

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

2019   PLAYOFFS   2020

Islanders lead Flyers;1-0

I - NYI 4; PHI 0

Islanders waste little time, lead Flyers 1-0

— B'klynTrolleyBlogger (@BTB_MikeII) August 24, 2020

2-0 #BeatVigneault

— B'klynTrolleyBlogger (@BTB_MikeII) August 25, 2020

3-0. This team is furious at even strength. #NYI Surprised Alain Vigneault lasted in Philly this long. #Soft #LGR #BeatVigneault

— B'klynTrolleyBlogger (@BTB_MikeII) August 25, 2020

FOUR ... ZIP

— B'klynTrolleyBlogger (@BTB_MikeII) August 25, 2020

Semyon Varlamov has now stopped his last fifty shots on goal, and throws his second straight shutout.  Meanwhile, the Islanders continue smothering the competition.  They have yet to allow thirty shots on goal by any team (FLA, WAS, PHI) since entering the bubble.  The Isles also continue getting scoring across the board.  Thirteen different Islanders have now scored at least one goal.  On Monday they get four unanswered goals from Andy Greene in the first, and three goals in the third by Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Anders Lee and Devon Toews (empty net).  In fact, they've outscored their opponents 35-15 through ten games to date.  They didn't compromise themselves by loitering in the box.  So far at even strength they've proven unstoppable.  This is a team which put together a ten game win streak back in October.  However, they were just 2-11 in their last thirteen games leading up to the pandemic shut-down.  They are now 8-2 over their last ten while scoring more than twice as often as their competition.

100 Years Ago Today 8/24/1920: Brooklyn Robins Fall Game Out of First After Loss to Pirates

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #118: Tuesday, August 24, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Forbes Field

Robins Throw Another Game Overboard Against Pirates

It is the Robins who prove to be their own worst enemy.  Their greatest folly occurs in the fifth.  With a man on first and no outs Jimmy Johnston fails to secure Carson Bigbee's foul pop.  Given a second chance Bigbee reaches safely on a fielder's choice then advances to third when second baseman Pete Kilduff throws away the relay to first.  Who else but Max Carey drives Bigbee home.  But starter Burleigh Grimes by no means is without fault.  Back in the first the spitballer unleashes a wild pitch allowing none other than Carson Bigbee to score from third.  Trailing 3-2 after seven, Brooklyn ties the score on Jimmy Johnston's leadoff triple and Tommy Griffith's sac fly.  After which here comes that name again - Carson Bigbee singles leading off the bottom of the eighth and is bunted over to second by Max Carey.  Billy Southworth then drives a Grimes offering to left scoring Bigbee from second with the go ahead run and a 4-3 final.  Grimes allows four runs, three earned, on eight hits and one walk through nine innings.  He is ponderously outdone by the pedestrian Pirate Hal Carlson who yields three earned runs on eleven hits and two walks and three strikeouts for his eleventh victory of the season.  Grimes is now 18-8 for the season with a 2.17 ERA.  Cincinnati defeats the Phillies at Redland Field and therefore takes over first place by a full game over the Robins.  The New York Giants lose to the Cardinals and remain three games back of first.

• RECORD: 66-51 (.564)
• 2nd Place; 1.0 GB

The Incoming Flight-O-Fish Arriving From Miami on Another Metsian Podcast

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

with SAM, RICH & MIKE

COVID-19 continues altering an already compromised 2020 regular season, and the problematic Miami Marlins/Florida condition remains front and center.  Most recently one New York Mets player and one coach tested positive for coronavirus during the team's most recent visit to Florida.  To be fair, where and when they contracted the virus has yet to be determined.  Nonetheless, a concerned Metsian Podcast extends their collective well wishes to the Mets organization.  Ten teams, one-third of all major league baseball teams have now experienced coronavirus related postponements.  New York City's scheduled weekend subway series is an obvious casualty.  Speaking of which, a Flight-o-Fish out of Miami is due to arrive at LaGuardia Airport this week.  How does that make you feel, Mets fans?  Sam, Rich and I go fishing for answers.  

#LGM

100 Years Ago Today 8/23/1920: Brooklyn Robins Take Series Opener at Forbes Field

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS
1920 National League Champions

Game #117: Monday, August 23, 1920 - BR 
Brooklyn Robins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Forbes Field

Jeff Pfeffer Hurls Gem at Pirates; Robins Remain Tied for First

Brooklyn wins their third straight game with a series opening victory at Pittsburgh.  The Pirates have been nothing but trouble for the Robins this summer.  But on this day Jeff Pfeffer takes all the wind out of their sails.  Brooklyn pushes across an unearned run in the third and never look back.  Facing starter Earl Hamilton in the top of the ninth, Pfeffer provides himself some insurance with a triple to center scoring Ed Konetchy, then scores on Ivy Olson's base hit.  Jeff Pfeffer turns in his finest performance of the season, allowing just four scattered hits and one walk through nine scoreless innings for his second shutout of the season.  He improves to 10-8 with a 2.94 earned run average.  In fact, Pfeffer and Ivy Olson join for six of the Robins ten hits and drive in one run apiece.  Cincinnati defeats the Phillies at Redland Field thus the Reds and Robins remain tied for first.  The New York Giants stomp the Cardinals at St. Louis and remain two games back of first.

• RECORD: 66-50 (.569)
• 1st Place; Tied with Reds

100 Years Ago Today 8/22/1920: Brooklyn Robins Salvage Split with Defending Champs

From the desk of: FINGERPRINTS OF THE BUMS

100th Anniversary

BROOKLYN ROBINS

1920 National League Champions

Game #116: Sunday, August 22, 1920 - BR
Brooklyn Robins vs. Cincinnati Reds
Redland Field

Brooklyn Salvages Split with Defending Champs; Robins and Reds Tied for First Place

Brooklyn denies Cincinnati starter Jimmy Ring his sixteenth victory with a six run barrage in the fifth inning from which the Reds do not recover.  After four scoreless frames, the Robins jump Ring for four runs on five hits and a walk before manager Pat Moran replaces him with reliever Ray Fisher.  Two more runs cross the plate all charged to Jimmy Ring.  Ivy Olson, Zack Wheat, Hi Myers and Ed Konetchy all drives in runs, while Jimmy Johnston knocks home two.  Starter Leon Cadore allows three earned runs on eight hits and one walk through 6.1 innings.  Al Mamaux finishes out the game with 2.1 innings of no-hit scoreless ball for his third save of the season.  Cadore improves to 10-11 with a 2.53 ERA.  Hi Myers (.311, 57 RBI), Zack Wheat (.309, 49 RBI), Ed Konetchy (.321, 49 RBI) continue driving the Robins offense.  Brooklyn and Cincinnati are once again tied atop the National League standings.  The New York Giants defeat the Cubs at Chicago to remain 2.0 games behind the leaders.

• RECORD: 65-50 (.565)
• Tied 1st Place

Defending Champion Raptors Too Much for Depleted Brooklyn Nets

From the desk of: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

2019   PLAYOFFS   2020

Raptors Lead Nets; 3-0

I - TOR 134; BRK 110

II - TOR 104; BRK 99

III - TOR 117; BRK 92 

IV - SUNDAY

No Shots for Jarrett Allen; No Chance For Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are a proverbial rubber band of brothers finally stretched to its limit and ready to snap.  At this point trying to remain competitive is just too much to ask from a team lacking so many key players from their once idealized line-up and rotation.  Now with Joe Harris suddenly out of action it invites Toronto to clamp down on Jarrett Allen.  I look at the score and the 25 point differential and think that doesn't happen with 20 points from Joe Harris and a better night scoring from "Mr. Double-Double" Jarret Allen and the bench.  We'd be writing a different story.  But that's not the way it happens.  Jarrett Allen secures a game high 17 rebounds, five on the offensive boards, but is limited to just four points all from the free throw line.  Caris LeVert went from averaging double-digit assists through two games to being limited to just six along with 15 points.  It also seems as if Toronto just lets Tyler Johnson score 23 points.  Garrett Temple goes a mere 2/12 and 1/9 from the arc.  Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot wasn't much better shooting 3/18 from the floor and 2/11 from the arc.  Out of 90 field goal attempts the Nets take 56.6% from the arc, and I have a problem with that.  And speaking of their 90 attempts, the Nets convert just 33.3% of the time.  The Raptors, meanwhile, are 50.5% (46/91) from the field.  The Nets are out-rebounded 48-33, which wasn't happening before.  Toronto does a better of distribution, 35-24, also something that wasn't happening before.  Coach Vaughn asks for 67-minutes from his bench.  Chris Chiozza leads the reserves with 14 points in 23 minutes, with three assists and four steals, but I can't say much else for the other six.  For the second time in three games Toronto leads wire to wire.  However, this is the first game the Nets truly get outplayed.